The current technology on the market permits cameras to take digital or non-digital pictures, and attach date and time stamps to the picture. The date and time stamps become permanent non-modifiable information that is either attached to the developed picture of pasted as pixels into a digital picture. This implies that if a particular viewer of the picture does not want to view the additional data attached to the picture, they will not have the opportunity to do so. Furthermore, if someone wants to modify or remove that data, that is also not possible.
Other current technologies exist that permit users to add captions to their digital pictures. However, these captions are stored in a database on a local machine or Internet site. If the user wants to move a picture from one environment to another, or send digital pictures to other users, then the caption does not move with the picture. Furthermore, if a sound file was attached to the JPEG file, the same problems would exist with respect to transmitting both the photograph and the sound.
Several U.S. patents have issued generally relating to the subject matter of transferring JPEG files. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,170, issued to Pont et al is directed to an information processing apparatus which stores information in recording units. Each recording unit includes at least one of a main image data, a sub-image data, and audio data. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the main image data, sub-image data as well as the audio data are stored in a random access memory in a mixed form. The main image data includes header information and image data. The header information includes index information, information indicating the type of data, information indicating the date when the image was taken, information indicating the start address of an area in which the data was stored, and information indicating the data length of the image data. The data structure for the sub-image data would be similar to the image structure of the main image data. However, this patent does not describe a situation in which when data is transferred from one location to a second location, such information such as textual data or other types of captioned material could be altered by an authorized user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,215, issued to Mizoguchi shows an information processing method and apparatus utilizing a notebook-type electronic camera. Various information relating to a particular image, such as the date of the image is automatically recorded along with the image data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,253, issued to Horiuchi et al illustrates an apparatus for superimposing a title onto an image produced by a video camera. A title to be displayed is elected by a control signal from a control signal input terminal. Both the patents to Mizoguchi and Horiuchi et al, while discussing adding material to a digital photograph, neither of these patents suggest a manner for insuring that only authorized individuals could alter the non-photographic material after it is sent from a first location to a second location.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is still need for improvement in a system and method of attaching non-photographic material to a photograph, transmitting both the photographic and non-photographic material and allowing only authorized individuals to modify the non-photographic material at a second location remote from a first location.